When Mrs Gaskell’s Mary Barton appeared in 1848, it kicked up a storm in cultured Mancunia. Could the wife of the Unitarian
minister at Cross Street Chapel really have written so vituperative an account of those kindly, God-fearing mill owners? Ed Glinert leads this walk around sights and sites significant to the life and work of this fascinating writer, finishing up with a visit to the historic and recently re-opened Elizabeth Gaskell’s House. Ed is the author of The Literary Guide to London and The Manchester Compendium, and is editor of the Sherlock Holmes stories for Penguin Classics. Meet outside St Ann's Church.